johhnnyt

Does vary from day to day, but you can do

Manchester----->Atlanta

Atlanta----->Miami on Virgin/Delta for under $400PP

Price jumps up another $150 if you go straight into FLL

Hope you and Edward have a great time. LMK if they repaired the fries at the Lawn Club Grill :)

What refinements do you hope to see on Edge?

I'm hoping bigger balconies, better closet storage design, USB ports, and a redesign of the showers, what would you like to see?

Will be onboard as well

John

Be in there as well, doing 5 days in San Diego pre cruise.

John

duplicate

correct, you can move up one notchin the same category, so if you book a 2c, you can move up to a 2b, or from a 1b to a 1a, but you can't move up a category like book a 2a and move up to a 1b

Correct, you book a 2c to get a 2b, you just have to say in the same category, so you can't go from a 2a to a 1b, or a 1a to a c3

Onlty thing I thought a bit odd was their reference to the Century as being the flagship of the Celebrity fleet

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-3834881/How-Celebrity-Constellation-converted-cruises.html

How often do the CD's change?

I think they do a month contract

Captain, Staff Captain, and HD do longer

Seven felony charges of polluting the seas and trying to cover it up, and pay a record $40 million criminal penalty.

http://fortune.com/2016/12/01/carnivals-princess-cruises-pollution/

I know after the Elite Plus discount it was less than $150 for the 15 night TA when booking it in advance, and did hear of others onboard that bought it for $130

Thank you very much for your review, photos and follow up posts. I am on the reflection in Dec and I love reading all about it and getting excited to go.

 

You sound like such an even headed person, I very much appreciate your honesty and straight forward manner.

Thanks MarinaDCA, but writing in a honest and straight forward manner is always easier than the practice of it :D

Excellent review, thank-you.:)

Thank You Clarea

Johhnny, you do a better job of representing Celebrity than Celebrity does! But maybe that's the way it should be, happy customers being the best advertisement. Your explanations are clear and logical and positive while still recognizing where improvements can be made. I wish there was a way to "friend" you on CC. Do you have a Facebook page? Hope to cross paths with you on a future Celebrity cruise.

Thanks, happy to accept a compliment anytime, and I really do appreciate that you said that. Happy to cruise with you anytime.

I work as a mediator in the courts, and I think it has helped me in my own head try to understand both sides of an issue, and the challenges both sides have in coming up with a remedy sometime.

Yes, has a facebook page John Tolliver, but it's no pearls of wisdom, just gripes and joys like anyone else

Johnnyt, thank you for the additional information and insight. Good explanation.

Thank you.

Yes, it made sense to me when I heard some of those details as from some of the team onboard

Johhnny, you appear to have some influential friends at the head office. Why is Celebrity not more responsive to guest questions, suggestions, and concerns on CC? Azamara does a much better job on CC in being responsive to their customers. Why can't Celebrity do the same? In my opinion, Celebrity offers a great product and value, it is just that a few things need to be tweaked or refined.

I couldn't agree more with what you are saying that Celebrity offers a great product and value, and that a few things still need to be tweaked or refined . I get frustrated too sometimes. The last time I contacted them using the “Contact Us” form, it took 3 weeks before I heard back, and by then had already figured out the issue. I do have some friends in the corporate office, but generally I only contact them as a last resort, as they are friends first, corporate contacts second. I know the social media teams monitor Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pretty well. I’m not sure how any of the Cruise lines can keep up with Cruise Critic though. On any given day alone there has to be a few hundred open threads that are active, and generally all you know is a screen name of the poster in most cases.

Like any hospitality or travel related business, they do listen whether you realize it or not. I have friends that work at Virgin Australia Airlines, Jet Blue Airlines , Celebrity Cruises, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, & MGM/Mirage Resorts and one of the commonalities I’ve heard is if you do see something amiss put it in writing, and attach your name to it. The complaints do get logged and if they see a trend they do take action to remedy it. A post on facebook or twitter, or a thread on cruise critic might get overlooked because it doesn’t have a specific name/address/email attached to it or specific detail of what was wrong, where it happened.

I usually fill out the attention to detail cards while at sea if I notice any issues, and always have found the teams onboard responsive to any suggestions. If it’s a more systematic issue, I will generally write a letter when I get home detailing the issue and any possible remedies I could think of. I also like to detail what I see that they are doing very well. I love going on vacation and returning without any criticism, and just sending a Thank You letter detailing their exceptional performance. In May of this year we stayed at the Hotel d'Angleterre in Geneva, and there was not one thing they did that I thought they could do better, so I loved writing them a thank you praising their performance and all the little extras they did to make that visit extraordinary. Nine times out of ten I hear something back even if it’s only a thank you.

Johnnyt,

 

Again, good job and your review. We were on the same cruise and I concur the staff was excellent.

 

As you probably know the Michael's Club and Luminae on this cruise was very busy and I thought it was because the Reflection has so many more suites than the other S Class ships.

Do you know if this cruise and other people besides yourself that were allowed to us the suite benefits?

 

Did it impress you enough to spend the extra money for a Suite on your nexuise?

 

I believe the perk for the future booking was free gratuities and OBC.

 

Enjoy your next cruise.

I think you are correct that it was because the Reflection has so many more suites than the other S Class ships, and also because of the older demographic also brought in additional members who were Zenith, who would also be using the benefit. I think there were only 6 of us that weren't in suites that were allowed to use perks of the suites.One of the people was a board member of RCCL and 3 of his family/friends, and there were two others that I know of.

In my opinion (and talking with some of the staff), because the demographic is older and have more cruises under their belt on a TA I think thats another reason Michaels and Luminae seem filled more , as an older crowd is more likely to stay with the no upcharge venues, and be less likely to revisit specialty dining.

I go back on forth in my mind on booking a suite, as I don't really entertain much, hardly ever use the butler, and storage seems more than adequate in a regular balcony cabin.The 5 or 6 times I had a suite, it was terrific, but certainly underutilized since I rarely spent time in the room.

Don't get me wrong, if I could afford the suites every cruise I would, but economics necessitates a bit less most times unless a W Guarantee (or a Sweet(suite) deal pops up at a good price, then I jump on it.

I'd love to try a RS sometime, just for the shower:D

Yes and you are 100% right about the future booking perks , I think it is free gratuities and OBC

Johhnnyt - thank you for the wonderful review. Really enjoyed both you photos and your dialogue.

 

We did the Reflection TA last year and am currently on the Silhouette TA. Looks like they went all out for Halloween. Being in between the holidays Silhouette has had no festive decorations at all so far.

 

Jim

Thanks Jim. My last TA was on Silhouette, and absolutely loved it, but do admit that I liked Reflection a bit more as the crew onboard this time was truly outstanding and seemed to go the extra mile. I used the book onboard option that they offered for 2018 TA's where you get perks and OBC if you put a $100 deposit down. I think they said the schedule would be announced on November 30 2016 for all the TA's in 2017. 2018

Thanks for your review and some awesome photos.

I enjoyed taking them . Glad you enjoyed them. They did a remarkable job all around, but especially loved the TLC of the Halloween decorations on the Grand Staircase and Guest Relations

we were on this cruise as well and stayed on and did the b2b for a week of the Caribbean. We agree with almost everything...mainly that it was an amazing cruise with lots of relaxation which we were desperate for after our busy year.

A few disappointments- Lawn club lunch- they charge you 10 dollars for their Bloody Mary drink even with the premium drink package. Seemed very nickel and dime. Come on, we spent good money on the drink package- an extra charge was not called for at all.

Second- we had the drink package so were not affected BUT- we are Elite and were given drink coupons for nightly drinks- the bars that you could use your coupons at were always too full. We did struggle to find a meeting place before dinner for our group. They should have kept the sky lounge for this so the bars would not be affected for everyone else. The passport bar, the martini bar and Ensemble lounge were packed every night !!!

and last - this was our first time to experience a b2b. It was a nightmare. Some things the ship cannot control like inspections that is fine. but try to make it smooth for those guests that are staying on board. We were sold a 60 dollar shore excursion that was encouraged ...leave at 8 back on board at 12. And oh by the way- you have a magic transit card to get you quickly back on board. Well no....we were told to wait in the long boarding line when we did finally get back to the ship by 1:30. Please don;t mislead me and charge me 60 dollars when you know its not going to happen.

The cruise was an amazing experience and we are grateful we did this. Celebrity remains my favourite...but they have work to do to keep me thinking that.

We didn't get to meet many on the role call- but enjoyed the slot pull. thanks again for organizing. ( and i won 10 dollars for being a top winner- woot woot)

cheers

Brockmom

Good Points, Yes I don't think I've heard of a smooth transition on a b2b. I think I would have felt the same way if they implied that the $60 was an easier way to bypass the line

Coupons-There has to be a better way. With as many elite and elite plus onboard (think it was about 1500) it seems like if they opened it up to all bars it still wouldn't be enough room. Perhaps they could try attach two electronic free drink coupons to people sea passes on a daily basis on TA?

I'm like you it didn't affect me, but was like cattle herds at some of the bars between 5-7

After I emailed Celebrity a few days ago about its cancelation of the luggage valet program, a customer service representative called and spoke with me. The representative was very nice, very apologetic and believed it was a business decision to discontinue the service. The representative hoped that the company was looking for a replacement for EBags, which had been providing that service. I was told that customer feedback could impact the decision to resurrect what had been a popular program with many cruisers, since it made disembarkation and post cruise travel much easier and less stressful. I was also told that though Celebrity and other cruise lines monitor social media, direct contact by its customers is much more likely to impact business decisions than anonymous online postings. Telephone calls, letters and emails (like mine) are categorized and reports/findings are relayed up the corporate ladder. So if you’d like the post-cruise luggage valet service to return, contact Celebrity and tell them directly. The contact information is at the bottom of Celebrity’s home page under the header “Customer Support”. Click on “Contact Us” to locate the phone number, mailing address and email contact info. Better yet, here is the link to that page https://secure.celebritycruises.com/contact-us/contact-us-domestic?cS=Footer&ICID=Cel_11Q4_web_hp_ftr_custsupport

With 4-5000 passengers on a RCCL sailing it is easier to get the needed amount of people to use the service to break even.

 

I have no idea how many is needed to do this, but they have to factor the cost of the truck, insurance, fuel, upkeep, in & out fees, and of course payroll.

 

A few dozen @ $25 each, would not generate enough $$ to cover said expenses. Where a few hundred could. Hence, RCCL still offers the service.

Thanks Wallie, that does make perfect sense. I used it a few times and was thrilled at its convenience, but like anything unless it generates revenue or people directly feedback in writing to Celebrity that they want it and the willingness to pay for it, I can't see it coming back soon.

Unless things have changed since April, I don't think the "Captain's Table" is ended. Instead it is held in a different way. On Millennium, we saw it once in Luminae, and twice in Blu.

They did same with our TA on Reflection. the Captain hosted 8 of us for a wonderful dinner in Tuscan on the 2nd or 3rd night of cruise

We were on Silhouette in September for a 9-night cruise out of Rome. On our first sea day we were invited to a bridge tour and Captain's lunch with all the other Royal and Penthouse suite passengers. The Captain and six other senior officers were there. It was held in Blu, which was closed to other passengers, so it was wonderfully quiet. We were sat around a large square banquet table, which made it easy to talk to the people next to you and also have the captain speak to the group. All the crew was very interesting and engaged. It was a fantastic afternoon with a special menu, including one dish prepared from the Captain's home recipe. At the end a photo was taken of the group. It was delivered to each of our suites along with a copy of the captain's recipe.

 

Perhaps the best part is that we bonded with the group and now had familiar faces to see in Michael's Club and Luminae. We've stayed in touch with some of the people from that lunch. It made our first cruise very memorable.

Yes they did this as well on the TA, where they had Captain, Staff Captain HD and department heads and about 20 passengers in a large table set up in Tuscan. From what the F&B manager told me they try and do these twice a cruise in addition to the Captains table dinner.

I know a few cruises ago one of the Hotel Directors told me they moved the Captains table out of the MDR because of space concerns. They would have this table for 8 or 10 empty in prime dining room space except for the few days it was hosted by an officer even though they had people wait listed for a seating in the MDR, so decision was made to move it to a smaller venue so it didn't impact other diners.

Great meeting you as well Debra, so glad we didn't set you on fire at Murano :D.

Oh.......I guess with 22 cruises under your belt, Celebrity does owe you something, maybe. :cool:

 

How would you compare Celebrity to your cruises on Cunard and HAL? These are two lines that I have interest in trying for the first time.

Funny you mentioned that as that question came up one night during dinner with friends that had sailed on Cunard and HAL more than I had.

The consensus was Cunard was really nicely run and quality was beautiful, but it's an older demographic, where Celebrity average customer might be 40+, Cunard's was 55+.

(and older demographics for both on TA's)

HAL as I remembered it and as did my friends got mixed reviews, some loved it, some said its never been the same since Carnival took it over. Most of the complaints were about the food, and lack of attention to detail for the service. I'm sure its one of those personal preference things. You could go on HAL or Cunard's boards and find the stalwart defender and critics of each.

Johnny, one of the best written and organized reviews I have ever read. We love the Reflection too, been on her twice (one a TA from Miami to Civitavecchia). We agree that Lawn Club Grille is something that shouldn't be missed. We were on the Solstice a couple of months ago and no Lawn Club Grille was a big disappointment.

 

One thing I am confused about, apparently you were in a Concierge stateroom. How did you get access to Michael's Club and Luminae?

Excellent review! We were on the same cruise. You were in a C2 cabin and are Elite Plus. I am also curious how you received Michael's Club and Luminae?

A good friend works in the corporate office in Miami, and was kind enough to put in a good word for me so I could experience Luminae and Michaels Club

Atmosphere-Always makes me feel fantastic to see such a multinational group of people getting along so well. We had 73 different nationalities onboard between staff and guests. There was everyone from a man from Tibet, to a group of friends from Norway, South Africans, Indonesians, Phillipinos, Belgians, Egyptians, Israelis, Vietnamese, English, Irish, Kiwis from New Zealand, Germans, Chinese, Croats, Russians, Ukrainians, it was a regular United Nations…… and closer to home Canadians and even a family that lived 25 miles from my house in New York. Literally it’s such a small world. It truly fascinates me to embrace our differences and share the commonalities with fellow guests and the onboard team, to me anyway it’s one of the true pleasures of cruise life.

One additional note- As we arrived into the port of Miami on November 5th. We were boarded by the USPHS (US Public Health Service) team and the ship was subjected to a unannounced POSI (Periodic Operational Sanitation Inspections). This was done immediately upon pulling into port, and the crew had essentially been at sea for almost 10 days straight. Not surprisingly the team onboard Reflection scored a perfect 100% on their inspection. As we used to say in the Navy, Bravo Zulu (congratulations) to the men and women onboard Reflection for this well-earned perfect score.